Angelfish finally spawned!

This is a discussion on Angelfish finally spawned! within the Fish Breeding forums, part of the Advanced Freshwater Discussion category; -->
Originally Posted by LisaC144
They will only parent for so long. After 25 days they should be removed from the parents because they will ...

They will only parent for so long. After 25 days they should be removed from the parents because they will spawn again. Where do I put the babies then? They'd still lbe too small for the 120g community tank. Once they spawn again, they will turn on their first spawn to raise the most recent fry. It's a lose/lose situation unless I want 10 tanks going at once. I just view it as the circle of life. This is what would happen in nature too. They defend off predators and if they feel threatened they eat the fry and weeks later, try again.

Oh I certainly understand not wanting to get into all that. Too bad they do it so often, you could at least keep one litter. It would be kind of cool if at least one or two fry made it in the community tank. I was sort of hoping I could get a few Platys to grow to adulthood in my tank. Probably not though with Gourami and Tiger Barbs, not to mention the Rainbow shark. Still, I am hoping.

Livebearer fry are larger than egg layers because they grow in the mom's belly before giving birth. Egg layer fish fry are so tiny because they hatch from eggs. They would need to survive several months in orderto be big enough not to get eaten. I'd say chances of that are slim to none. I wouldn't mind one spawn of Angelfish, but it's not worth buying and setting up another tank just for a few of their fry to possibly survive, IMO.

Bad luck. The stupid angelfish ate most of the fry. Now I only have a 90 gallon tank that is still in the last stages of cycling and a 10 gallon tank that I could move the fry to if I could clean it up really well and find a way to get the fry from one tank to the other... they're all hanging out at the top right now so a siphon won't work. I think the reason the fry keep getting eaten on the third day of free swimming is that by then it's almost been two weeks and the parents are ready to spawn again.
So right now I have about 20 fry left from a spawn of about 100+. They are well fed and so are the parents. The parents are guarding the breeding slate from the fry. I will move the fry soon.

I have two angelfish in a 29-gallon community tank. I got them last winter when they were small. Now they are about 3 inches in diameter, not including the fins. I did not know what their sexes were until two weeks ago when I saw the golden one lay eggs on the filter tube. All that the other one (a black marbled one) did was eat the eggs right off the tube 'til they were all gone. Today, however, when the golden female laid eggs again, the black one did not touch them. They are both just hanging around the tube and protecting the eggs. Is it possible that the black one is a female too? Or, if this was the case, the golden one wouldn't have laid egg in the first place? I haven't noticed the black one fertilize the eggs with its papilla. Isn't it what a male supposed to do? I would appreciate it if someone could explain what's going on.

There are two possible scenarios here.
One: you have a pair, and it was just immaturity, a common cause of it, that made the black one eat the eggs. This pair will have fertilized eggs, and they should be a pinkish color if they are fertilized. If they have not been fertilized, they will turn white and die.

Two: You have two females. Sometimes, in a tank with only female angelfish, one will take the position the male normally would and touch the eggs with its papilla. These eggs will obviously not be fertilized and die. While the angelfish may guard the eggs, if they have been fertilized they will live, and if they have not they will die.

Great explanation! Thank you. I'll keep an eye on those eggs. I just have to ask another question though. When/if they turn pink, can I simply remove the filter tube together with the eggs, place it in a separate tank, and try to raise the eggs/fry without the parents? In other words, is presence of the breeding pair necessary for the survival of the eggs? There is, by the way, a nice video by an Australian on breeding angelfish on Youtube, but I don't think it answers my question. I really appreciate your time.

Yes, you can raise the eggs/fry without the parents. The only thing the parents really do is protect their eggs and fry. When eggs, they constantly fan them to keep water circulating through the eggs so they don't rot. you can replicate this by adding an airstone on the eggs. Any that die must be removed. I also believe there is somethingyou can add to the water to prevent the eggs from rotting, but I can't recall what that is. Once the eggs become free-swimming, all you need to do is feed them. The best food for fry is newly hatched brine shrimp. You should start a hatchery 48 hours prior to free-swimming (around the 5th day afrer the eggs have been laid). I'm sure there's more detailed information available on the internet/youTube, just that's the jist of it

Wow! You guys are amazing! So prompt and helpful. Back to my angels though. All the eggs are gone. My sailfin pleco must have eaten them. What did I expect from a community tank?! I doubt those were fertilized anyway. I think both angels are females. While one lays eggs, the other just mimics a male's behavior. Freddy explained this in his latest post. I never intended to breed anything, but the fish obviously don't care what I think. Don't get me wrong - I'd love my angels to have babies. My peppered cories and platies have procreated like crazy (no surprise here), so I had to get two more tanks to house the burgeoning population. Never thought I'd turn into a fishaholic. I've so much to learn though. Thank you everyone for your help.